Maternity Posing
Maternity sessions are some of my favorite to photograph! I love capturing such a special time for families and for mamas specifically. I've laid out my favorite poses for all situations below. Whether your session is a solo mama, mom and dad, or a family.
Solo Poses
It's really important that when shooting a maternity session you get a variety of images for mom. Solo photos are a must! This is a great way to highlight this moment in time for a woman who is becoming a mother, whether it is her first child or fifth. I've shared some of my favorite poses below. It is always essential that throughout your session at least one hand is ALWAYS on the bump. Maternity sessions are all about the belly! It should be showing in every photo. The best way to accentuate the bump is for mom to stand on a 45 degree angle to the camera and pop the knee of her front leg (the leg closest to you) while holding the bottom of her belly. This creates a beautiful angle that really draws attention to the belly!
Moms and Dads
A lot of maternity sessions are new moms and dads so it's important to have a good amount of poses ready for the expecting couple! See below for some of my favorites :) Again, you'll notice there is always a hand on the belly and we are always trying to accentuate the bump as much as possible. I usually limit sitting poses because a lot of times its hard for a mama in her third trimester to get up and down from a seated position especially a seated position on the ground. So when possible I usually like to have them sit on something with the option to lean back on an arm or lean back onto dad. Some moms are totally up for getting all the way down on the ground and then I say go for it!
*This is a great time to add, you should always be thinking about mom. Making sure she is comfortable in the pose or even comfortable walking to the chosen location.
Family Maternity Poses
Sometimes, you'll have moms who didn't do pictures with their first and have decided to document their second. My biggest tip for family maternity sessions is to keep mom and bump as the main focus. Put mom in the center and the family around her. Another way to draw attention to the belly is to (and I've said this before) always have a hand on the bump! The posing tips mentioned above, like mom at a 45 degree angle, front knee popped, etc., still apply here!
Moms and Kids
Moms with older kids may also feel like it is a very emotional time as the family dynamic is about to change with the arrival of another baby. So, don't forget to document mom with JUST her kids.
